''Honey's Money'' is a 1962
Merrie Melodies
''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated comedy short film series distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was part of the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise and featured many of the same characters. Originally running from August 2, 1931, to Septem ...
animated short featuring
Yosemite Sam
Yosemite Sam ( ) is a cartoon character in the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of short films produced by Warner Bros. His name is taken from Yosemite National Park in California. His real name is ''Aloysius Bartholamew Sam''. ...
.
The short was released on September 1, 1962.
Plot
Yosemite Sam endeavors to exploit a local widow's $5 million inheritance by marrying her, intending to acquire financial control and execute various nefarious schemes. However, upon discovering the widow's unattractive appearance, Sam initially recoils but relents when enticed by the prospect of sharing her wealth. Subsequent to the marriage, Sam attempts to assert himself as a domineering figure, but the widow proves to be more dominant as she compels Sam into servitude, relegating him to menial household tasks while she assumes a passive role.
The situation escalates with the introduction of the widow's son Wentworth, a physically imposing yet mentally immature boy who wants play with his new stepfather. Sam initially refuses to do anything with Wentworth, but when the widow reminds him of a risk of being denied of his share of his wealth, Sam reluctantly engages in paternal duties, enduring discomfort and humiliation.
Driven by greed, Sam seeks to murder Wentworth to secure sole access to the wealth. Sam's first attempt involves throwing a ball into the street (occupied by driving cars) for Wentworth to catch, but the widow foils this and forces Sam to get the ball himself, resulting Sam to be run over by cars. Sam's second attempt involves putting
alligator
An alligator, or colloquially gator, is a large reptile in the genus ''Alligator'' of the Family (biology), family Alligatoridae in the Order (biology), order Crocodilia. The two Extant taxon, extant species are the American alligator (''A. mis ...
s in the pool where Wentworth is about to swim in, but this backfires as Wentworth's massive jump into the pool caused the alligators to be thrown out and attack Sam, much to his shock.
Sam initially attempts to leave as he doesn't want to endure more of the widow and Wentworth's antics, but decides to stay with them as he feels that enduring their antics would be worth getting the wealth.
Voice cast
*
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for come ...
as Yosemite Sam
*
June Foray
June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American Voice acting, voice actress and radio personality, best known as the voice of such animation, animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha F ...
as the Widow
*
Billy Booth as Wentworth
Production notes
''Honey's Money'' serves as a reimagining of two 1950s animated shorts, namely ''
His Bitter Half'' and ''
Hare Trimmed
''Hare Trimmed'' is a 1953 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' short directed by Friz Freleng and written by Warren Foster. The short was released on June 20, 1953, and features Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam and Granny.
Plot
The story opens in a tow ...
''. In ''His Bitter Half'',
Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character created by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett for Leon Schlesinger Productions. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, he has appeared in cartoon series such as ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Me ...
enters a marriage of convenience with a wealthy female duck, only to find himself grappling with unforeseen challenges when his spouse transforms into a demanding figure, imposing household duties and revealing the existence of a previously undisclosed son. This narrative framework is replicated in ''Honey's Money'', with Yosemite Sam assuming the role originally held by Daffy Duck, albeit accompanied by some altered sequences. The character of Wentworth, portrayed as an innocent and physically imposing child of limited intellect in ''Honey's Money'', diverges from the depiction of a mischievous youngster in the original short. While elements from ''Hare Trimmed'' are incorporated into ''Honey's Money'', such as certain comedic motifs, the involvement of
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a cartoon character created in the late 1930s at Warner Bros. Cartoons (originally Leon Schlesinger, Leon Schlesinger Productions) and Voice acting, voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his featured roles in the ' ...
, a prominent character in the former, is omitted from the latter adaptation.
''Honey's Money'' marks a notable departure from the traditional pairing of Yosemite Sam with perennial adversary Bugs Bunny, a dynamic observed in most of the original theatrical cartoons, save for ''
Along Came Daffy
''Along Came Daffy'' is a 1947 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng and written by Michael Maltese and Tedd Pierce. The cartoon was released on June 14, 1947, and stars Daffy Duck and Yosemite Sam.
Plot
Yosemite Sam and ...
'' (1947). This short stands as Yosemite Sam's only story as a sole protagonist in the original Merrie Melodies-Looney Tunes catalog.
The thematic premise of ''Honey's Money'' would resurface in 1970 within the ''
Roland and Rattfink
''Roland and Rattfink'' is an American series of animated shorts produced and released from 1968 to 1971. The main characters also made several guest appearances on ''The Pink Panther'' animated series. The series was produced by David H. DePatie a ...
'' series, titled "A Taste of Money".
Composer
Milt Franklyn
Milton J. Franklyn (born Milton Julius Frumkin; September 16, 1897 – April 24, 1962) was an American musical composer and arranger who worked on the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated cartoons, working alongside and later succeeding Carl Sta ...
contributed the musical score for ''Honey's Money'', but died in April 1962, before the short was released. The introduction of replacement composer
William Lava
William "Bill" Benjamin Lava (March 18, 1911 – February 20, 1971) was a composer and arranger who composed and conducted music for feature films as well as Warner Bros.' ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' animated cartoons from 1962 to ...
's credit in the opening sequence began in November, coinciding with the release of the short ''
Good Noose''.
Reception
Animation historian
David Gerstein
David Gerstein (born February 6, 1974) is an American comics author and editor as well as an animation historian. Gerstein has five books and countless comic book credits to his name. He has written many Disney comics stories, usually featuring ...
writes, "Desperate to make married life endurable under the circumstances, Yosemite is driven to some of the darkest plots ever seen in a Looney Tune — efforts to murder his young stepson via alligators and speeding cars. Only Sam's sheer bombast and exaggerated evil make the material funny rather than tragic. Freleng takes an admirably successful risk. Sam's own risks aren't as successful... for him."
Music
* "
The Gold Diggers' Song (We're in the Money)
"The Gold Diggers' Song (We're in the Money)" is a song from the 1933 Warner Bros. film ''Gold Diggers of 1933'', sung in the opening sequence by Ginger Rogers and chorus. The entire song is never performed in the 1933 movie, though it introduc ...
", c. 1933, lyrics
Al Dubin
Alexander Dubin (June 10, 1891 – February 11, 1945) was an American lyricist. He is best known for his collaborations with the composer Harry Warren.
Life
Al Dubin came from a Russian Jewish family that immigrated to the United States from Sw ...
, music by
Harry Warren
Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981) was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song ...
* "
Ain't We Got Fun
"Ain't We Got Fun" is a popular foxtrot published in 1921 with music by Richard A. Whiting, lyrics by Raymond B. Egan and Gus Kahn.
It was first performed in 1920 in the Fanchon and Marco revue ''Satires of 1920'', then moved into vaudevi ...
", 1921,
Richard A. Whiting
Home media
This cartoon was released on
Blu-ray
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
and
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
on the 2014 ''
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3''.
See also
*
List of Yosemite Sam cartoons
Yosemite Sam is an American animated cartoon character in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The character appeared in dozens of cartoons from the 1940s to the 2000s.
Golden Age ap ...
References
External links
*
{{Friz Freleng
1960s American films
1960s English-language films
1960s Warner Bros. animated short films
1962 animated short films
Animated film remakes
English-language short films
Films about inheritances
Films about marriage
Films produced by David H. DePatie
Films scored by Milt Franklyn
Films with screenplays by John Dunn (animator)
Merrie Melodies short films
Remakes of American films
Short films directed by Friz Freleng
Works featuring villain protagonists
Yosemite Sam films